NYC Radio: Santa Spins WLTW To #1

As expected Santa delivered an early present to WLTW 106.7 FM as LiteFM station surged 5.6—7.7 on the strength of Christmas music during the December PPMs.  The iHeartMedia outlet returned to the market’s #1 position 6+ and 25-54 (AQH) .   

Also expected, CBS Radio’s Classic Hits WCBS 101.1 FM, which had been #1 for the past three months, fell.  However, WCBS-FM has got to be pleased with its 7.1—6.9 performance against the Holiday hits. It also was #1 in Cume.

   

iHM Top 40 WHTZ 100.3 FM Z100 was up again posting its best share since May 5.5—5.6, good for #3.   SBS Tropical WSKQ 97.9 FM was up 5.1—5.4 and ended up in the #4 position.  Emmis UrbanAC WBLS 107.5 FM rebounded 4.9—5.3 for the #5 spot.

25-54:  WLTW…WCBS-FM…WHTZ…WBLS…WSKQ

18-34:  WHTZ…WWPR…WQHT…WSKQ…WLTW

18-49:  WLTW…WHTZ…WCBS-FM…WSKQ…WWPR

Cume:    WCBS-FM 3,691,500...WBMP-FM 3,172,700...WWFS-FM 3,127,600...WAXQ-FM 2,829,400...WWPR-FM 2,515,000

Noteworthy: WFAN began its 28th year on the air this fall with one of its strongest ratings quarters in recent memory, averaging more than 7 percent of the audience among men ages 25-54 for its three key shows from Sept. 11 through Dec. 3, according to Newsday.

Joe Benigno, Evan Roberts

The most pleasant surprise for the station was the performance of the midday show featuring Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, which averaged a 7.6 share and ranked first in the New York market for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- a WFAN first.

Mark Chernoff, the station's operations manager, praised the team for being "on target" with their discussions. He also credited popular regular football guests such as Antrel Rolle, Muhammad Wilkerson, Carl Banks, Terry Bradshaw and Michael Irvin.

"They are the stars of this book," the station's afternoon host, Mike Francesa, said of Benigno and Roberts.

WFAN's morning team of Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton averaged a 7.9 share, second in the market to Z100 and nearly double the 4.0 for ESPN's national show featuring Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg.

Benigno and Roberts more than doubled the 3.1 for ESPN New York's programming between 10 and 1.

Mike Francesa finished first in his 1 to 6:30 p.m. slot with a 7.2 share, well ahead of ESPN's 3.8 during that time period.

© 2005-2014 Arbitron Inc. All Rights Reserved. Arbitron radio audience estimates and data are federally copyrighted by and proprietary to Arbitron Inc. All Arbitron data are protected under U.S. copyright law, state misappropriation law, and other state and federal laws. Violations of Arbitron’s rights under U.S. copyright law may result in statutory damages per act of infringement and the recovery of Arbitron’s attorneys’ fees required to enforce Arbitron’s rights, in addition to other rights and remedies under other applicable laws, such as the Lanham Act.

L-A Radio: Holiday Hits Help KOST Surge

iHeartMedia’s KOST 103.5 FM surged 5.2—7.0 (6+ AQH) to regain the #1 spot (also #1 2-54 and 18-49), after starting with Christmas tunes one week into the ratings month.  The station actually bettered last year’s same month 6.3 share performance.  Clustermates KIIS 1027 FM dropped to the second spot, after losing share 5.3—4.9 and KBIG 104.3 FM MyFM was flat 4.7.—4.6 and claimed the #3 spot.

CBS Radio’s Classic Hits KRTH 101.1 FM moved 4.2—4.5, good for #4 and Emmis’ Top40 KPWR  105.9 FM was off 4.3—3.9 and ended up at #5.

25-54:  KOST…KIIS..KBIG…KRTH…KLVE

18-34:  KPWR…KIIS…KOST…KBIG…KRTH

18-49:  KOST…KIIS…KBIG…KPWR…KRTH

Cume:  KOST-FM 3,780,100…KIIS-FM 3,688,100…KBIG-FM 3,509,600…KAMP-FM 2,804,100…KRTH-FM 2,736,300

© 2005-2014 Arbitron Inc. All Rights Reserved. Arbitron radio audience estimates and data are federally copyrighted by and proprietary to Arbitron Inc. All Arbitron data are protected under U.S. copyright law, state misappropriation law, and other state and federal laws. Violations of Arbitron’s rights under U.S. copyright law may result in statutory damages per act of infringement and the recovery of Arbitron’s attorneys’ fees required to enforce Arbitron’s rights, in addition to other rights and remedies under other applicable laws, such as the Lanham Act.

Chicago Radio: WLIT Returns To A Familiar December Spot

A year later, iHearthMedia’s WLIT 93.9 FM MyFM has returned to the #1 spot thanks to a dramatic 3.7—7.7 December PPM performance (6+ AQH).  MyFM also outperformed last year’s December share of 6.5. 

iHM clustermate UrbanAC WVAZ 102.7 FM V103 made a great move 5.9—7.3 to end up at #2.  

CBS Radio News WBBM 780 AM / 105.9 FM was up 5.7—6.2, but dropped to the #3 spot. 

Hubbard’s  HotAC WTMX 101.9 FM MIX fell to #4 5.2—4.9   iHM’s Top40 WKSC 103.5 FM KISS was flat 4.3—4.3 to finish at #5.

25-54:  WVAZ…WLIT…WTMX…WKSC…WOJO

18-34:  WGCI…WLIT tied WKSC…WVAZ…WBBM-FM

18-49:  WVAZ…WLIT…WTMX…WKSC…WBBM-FM

Cume:  WLIT-FM 2,427,500…WKSC-FM 2,385,400…WTMX-FM 2,206,100…WBBM-FM 2,175,300…WBBM-AM 1,654,800

© 2005-2014 Arbitron Inc. All Rights Reserved. Arbitron radio audience estimates and data are federally copyrighted by and proprietary to Arbitron Inc. All Arbitron data are protected under U.S. copyright law, state misappropriation law, and other state and federal laws. Violations of Arbitron’s rights under U.S. copyright law may result in statutory damages per act of infringement and the recovery of Arbitron’s attorneys’ fees required to enforce Arbitron’s rights, in addition to other rights and remedies under other applicable laws, such as the Lanham Act.

Philly Radio: Classic Hip-Hop Scores

Classic hip-hop turns in its best debut yet in Philadelphia, according to InsideRadio.

In its best ratings performance yet, the fledgling classic hip-hop format finished top five among persons 18-34 and 25-54 in its first full month on the air in Philadelphia.  After initial success in Houston, Radio One quickly duplicated the red-hot format in Philly on “Boom 107.9” WPHI, which dropped urban on November 8, two days into Nielsen’s December survey.

The station has since doubled its 6+ share (1.9-3.8), while lurching into the top five in 18-34 (4.0-6.5) and 25-54 (2.3-5.5). The ratings are especially remarkable given WPHI’s class A signal.  The station apparently most negatively affected is sister R&B oldies “Old School 100.3” WRNB, which tumbled 4.0-3.3.

In Dallas, “Boom 94.5” KSOC grew 2.8-3.4 in 6+ to finish tenth without the benefit of a full survey just yet in the throwback format.  The station, which launched November 14, tripled its 18-34 shares (1.0-3.4) to rank 13th and moved 3.1-4.0 in 25-54 to rank eighth. The gains appear to have taken a sliver away from Service Broadcasting urban “K-104” KKDA (4.0-3.6) and Radio One rhythmic CHR “97.9 The Beat” KBFB (3.6-3.3)   Cumulus Media’s KLIF-FM, which had a two-week fling with classic hip-hop after rebranding in October as rhythmic CHR “Hot 93.3,” had the largest 6+ percentage increase in Dallas, vaulting 1.8.-2.6.

Back in Houston, “Boom 92” KROI came close to matching its explosive 3.2 debut in November with a 2.9 in December.  But it slipped from tenth to 12th in persons 25-54 (4.0-3.7)  and fell from sixth to ninth (5.1- 4.3) in adults 18-34.

Read More Now (Paywall)

Nielsen Releases December PPM Data for Top Markets

Nielsen Monday released the first batch of December PPM results.  Markets released were:

1 New York City  

2 Los Angeles  

3 Chicago  

4 San Francisco  

5  Dallas-Ft. Worth  

6 Houston-Galveston  

8 Philadelphia  

9 Atlanta 

20 Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island, NY) 

26 Riverside-San Bernardino CA 

36 San Jose CA 

41 Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ

To View the Topline Numbers for Nielsen Subscribing Stations: Click Here 

Alpha Media To Acquire Shreveport, Tyler Stations

Alpha Media of Portland, OR, has agreed to acquire Access 1 Communications' nine radio stations in Shreveport, LA and Tyler-Longview, TX.

Included in the deal are Shreveport stations:

• KBTT 103.7 FM The Beat 
• KOKA 980 AM The Light
• KDKS 102.1 FM 
• KLKL 95.7 FM  Classic Hits
• KTAL 98.1 FM Rock

Tyler-Longview, TX stations:

• KKUS 104.1 FM Classic Country
• KOOI 106.5 FM Sunny
• KOYE 96.5 FM Regional Mexican
• KYKX 105.7 FM Country

Alpha Media will begin operating the Access 1 stations under an Local Marketing Agreement (LMA), beginning January 1. AM's portfolio currently includes seventy stations and when all pending deals are complete, the station count will reach 83.

Alpha Media Chairman Larry Wilson said, "I've known Chesley Maddox-Dorsey for a long time. She's a great person with superb integrity and it's a tremendous honor for us to be buying stations from Access 1. I've been continually impressed with the quality of people I've met and their passion for the industry. It fits right in our sweet spot for live and local radio and we are very much looking forward to the acquisition."

Access 1 Communications President/CEO Chesley Maddox-Dorsey said, "Larry Wilson continues to display the dynamism that has earned him the best in class title for our industry. With our sale to Alpha Media, our employees, listeners and advertising partners in East Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana will have the opportunity to work with a visionary group of media professionals with a demonstrated track record of success. We are thrilled that we could pass our baton to this incredibly imaginative company that will maintain that intimate connection with listeners and advertisers that we have come to cherish."

'Robin Williams' Was Google's Most Searched In 2014

The death in August of Robin Williams made the actor the top trending search term of the year both in the US and globally, says Google in its 2014 Year in Search report, marking the third consecutive year that the passing of an iconic figure was the top trending search topic.

Charlotte Radio: Layoffs Reported At Beasley Stations

Beasley Broadcast Group, which acquired seven Charlotte radio stations this month from CBS Radio, has shed about a dozen or more jobs at the operation in a wave of layoffs that began Friday, accoridng to The Charlotte Observer.

Bill Schoening, Charlotte market manager for Beasley, said Monday he could not comment on the reports, and calls and messages to Beasley executives at its Naples, Fla.-headquarters were not returned. But some of the affected workers said Monday they were surprised to learn a week before Christmas that their jobs were being eliminated.

None of the layoffs appear to have hit the top talent ranks at the stations, which include three of the city’s best-ranked stations, Urban WPEG 97.9 FM Power98,  UrbanAC WBAV 101.9 FM and Country WSOC 103.7 FM.

Beasley also operates sports-talk stations Sports WFNZ 610 AM the Fan and WBCN 1660 AM and pop stations WKQC 104.7 FM and WNKS 95.1 FM Kiss95.1.

On Dec. 1, Beasley took over the Charlotte stations, part of a transaction with CBS Radio that also included station transfers in Tampa, Miami and Philadelphia. CBS had operated radio stations in Charlotte since 1997, but traded them to gain operations in larger cities where there was synergy with other broadcast properties. When the deal was consummated, Beasley wound up with 53 radio stations in 12 cities, including 12 stations it already operated in Eastern North Carolina.

St. Louis Radio: Dave Adams Named New PD At KLOU-FM

Dave Adams

iHeartMedia/St. Louis has appointed Dave Adams as Program Director for heritage Classic Hits KLOU 103.3 FM, effective January 12.

Adams joins KLOU after 4 years of programming stations at iHeartMedia/Milwaukee, including Oldies WRIT 95.7 FM  and WRNW 97.3 FM Radio Now. His programming experience also includes WBNQ-FM/Bloomington and WHZZ-FM/Lansing, MI.

"We are thrilled to have Dave's leadership to help bring KLOU and its staff to a new level of ratings and revenue success," said Regional Market Manager and iHM/St. Louis Market President Beth Davis.

"Dave Adams brings a strong set of skills that will elevate not only KLOU but the group as a whole to help continue our cluster's success in St. Louis," said Regional Program Manager & iHM/St. Louis Director of Operations Steve Stewart. "I'm excited to work with Dave and I'm confident he will be a great addition to our team."

"I'm really excited to be a part of the St. Louis team in such a great city and station with heritage call letters as KLOU," said Adams. "A special thanks to Carl Anderson, Beth Davis and Steve Stewart for this great opportunity."

WA Radio: Pot Advertising Can Be Tricky

The citizens of Washington state may have voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use by a margin of 56% to 44% back in 2012, but that doesn’t mean state regulators have to make it easy for consumers to find or merchants to sell, according to Mediapost.com.

Last week, the state’s Liquor Control Board, which has authority over the marijuana trade, issued strict new ad guidelines limiting marketing and promotional efforts by marijuana vendors.

Among other limits, according to the new guidelines, no marijuana advertising or labeling on marijuana or marijuana-infused products may claim that marijuana has any curative or therapeutic effects. Marijuana ads are banned from public property and transit vehicles, and merchants are forbidden from using giveaways, coupons, or branded merchandise to promote their products.

However, they are permitted to establish a separate business to sell merchandise (e.g. t-shirts and hats) promoting their marijuana store — but this merchandise can’t be sold in the store itself.

Although the new rules don’t explicitly forbid radio and TV advertising, the LCB warns that such ads may well run afoul of the law in neighboring states or the Federal government, as “Television and radio… carry across state lines as well as places where children can see or hear.”

Bumper stickers promoting the brand are illegal, and advertising with vinyl-wrapped vehicles is “risky,” because such vehicles could easily come within 1,000 feet of a school or other restricted areas. For the same reason, retailers should think twice about putting their brand on delivery trucks.

Wounded Meteorologist Doesn't Know Assailant

Patrick Crawford

Television meteorologist Patrick Crawford, who was shot in his station's parking lot, thanked doctors and others who helped him right after he was shot last week.

The 35-year-old, spoke to the media for the first time since the shooting on Monday.

According to USAToday, Crawford, a KCEN-TV weatherman, is still recovering at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas.

Crawford was shot at 11 times with a semi-automatic handgun Wednesday as the morning show meteorologist was leaving the station, owned by Gannett Co. Inc., after his shift.

Crawford was shot in the stomach and shoulder and a bullet grazed his head, but he managed to drive off along the I-35 frontage road. He stopped his car near construction workers who offered aid and called for help.

"Things are improving. I'm slowly getting better," Crawford said. "It's been a long process with a lot of pain."

The unknown suspect fled on foot.

"There was no interaction whatsoever," Crawford said. "He just started shooting at me as I was leaving the parking lot of KCEN TV station. So there was no interaction. I did not know him."